#dementia journey

[healingheartsspace]

Affirmation Always anchored in love, no matter the moment.

Even in confusion. Even in exhaustion. Love holds steady beneath it all—quiet, constant, and true.

[in-tua-deep]

Update: I have chopped all my hair off and it looks great !!

Further update: I went from looking like my mother to looking like my father

[milflewis]

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[ultimate-healing-blog]

Processed Red Meat and Dementia Risk Explained

Can Eating More Processed Red Meat Increase Your Dementia Risk? The relationship between diet and cognitive health has garnered significant attention in recent years, particularly in terms of how specific food types may influence the risk of developing dementia. Among these, processed red meat has been a focal point of discussion. This article explores whether increased consumption of processed…

[wisedreamerreview]

Not Alone in His World

Finally, yesterday someone other than family spoke up and kindly, yet bluntly, told dad that he would not drive again. When he asked why, the nurse who was there to check on him sat down and quietly explained. She told him that he didn’t always remember well, and that we didn’t want him to get lost. She told him that his reflexes are not as good as they once were and we didn’t want him to get in…

[i-sexually-identify-as-a-threat]

Sure, those guys had a rough time. But I, Dante Alighieri--

this worled s beautiful

[pwrn51]

Exploring the Essence of Passionate World Talk Radio

  Passionate World Talk Radio offers a diverse range of resources and valuable insights from our dedicated hosts, each specializing in their own unique area. In this blog, we’ll highlight a few of our hosts who provide an abundance of information and expertise to our audience. While this blog post offers a brief overview of the topic, there is more information available in the video…

[healingheartsspace]

Affirmation Compassion leads. Always.

When the path is unclear, let kindness be your guide. It never loses the way.

[saywhat-politics]

America Is Backsliding Toward Its Most Polluted Era

When you inhale a microscopic speck of soot, its journey may go like this: The particle enters your nose and heads into your lungs, penetrating even the tiny air sacs that facilitate gas exchange. Next it may slip into your bloodstream and flow into your heart, or past the blood-brain barrier. Most of us inhale some of these tiny particles every day. But inhaling enough can turn the act of breathing into an existential hazard, prompting or worsening asthma, COPD, respiratory infections, and permanent lung damage. In the heart, the specks can trigger heart disease, heart attacks, and most of the cardiovascular disorders you can think of. Air pollution is also associated with depression and anxiety, and with higher rates of suicide. It can trigger strokes and is linked to dementia or—even at average levels in this country—Parkinson’s disease.

These particles can also cross the placenta, where they can reduce an infant’s lung function before birth. A pre-polluted baby is also more likely to arrive prematurely, and at a lower weight. Exposure to bad air in utero is associated with a higher risk of autism, and exposure in childhood has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems, including lower IQ. A person’s lungs can develop until age 25, and as Alison Lee, a pulmonologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, put it to me, “once you’ve lost lung function, you can’t get it back.” Persistent exposure to air pollution can cause permanent harm, creating health problems for children and setting them up to become sicker adults.

It’s hard to picture a person dropping dead from air pollution, yet it happens all the time. In the United States, particulate matter is estimated to kill more than twice as many people as vehicular accidents do—in total, some 100,000 to 200,000 people a year, as an underlying factor of chronic disease or by way of heart attacks, asthma attacks, and other sudden events. Even as air quality in America has improved, researchers have found that relatively low concentrations of particulate matter can cause major hazards.

[gallusrostromegalus]

I haven't seen any dog stories in a while. How are Charleston and The Hanukkah Goblin doing?

Dog updates!

The first one is a little sad, but also how life should go. Arwen is 14 now and while she's still moving, eating, pooping and generally enjoying life, she also has canine dementia and sundown syndrome where she gets extremely nervous and her dementia gets worse after dark. She'll be with us for a while yet, but it's something we have to manage now.

One person who is very much helping her manage is Herschel. My parents are traveling a lot while they still have the knees for it so I spend a lot of time up at their house, and Charleston and Herschel come up too. Being a Corgi, Herschel likes to manage things, and Arwen would like someone to manage things for her so he's become her self-appointed guide dog.

When I call the dogs for food or outside, he goes and finds her deaf ass and herds her to the location. Normally she doesn't go outside after dark but when the boys are there she's willing to wait for Charlie to chase away anything that might be lurking out there, and then follow Herschel's ass around the yard at night.

Very literally.

She's also got cataracts forming and I think his bright white backside is easy for her to see in the dark, so she follows it around.

During daytime walks she sees well enough but neither she nor Charlie are fans of strange off-leash dogs running up to them (a regrettably common problem out here. I don't care if your dog is friendly MINE ARE NOT!), so both of them prefer to walk half a pace behind Herschel so his more socially adept and knife-filled face is out front to intercept any unwanted solicitors. This does tend to give people the opposite impression though- because he is so much shorter, Herschel gives the impression of a tiny, charming mafioso flanked by his two large and surly bodyguards.

Like, they absolutely would kill a bear for him.

But Charlie and Arwen would also try to kill a bear on general principle.

At night, when Arwen barks at shadows, Herschel runs up and stand between her and the alleged menace, and does his best to look large and intimidating and for as silly as he looks, he does have a very good growl. After a moment, when the alleged bear or congressman or other horror fails to appear, he will stick his nose into the offending shadow, and finding nothing, be satisfied that their joint effort has successfully chased the problem off, and report back to her. This, more than anything else, seems to alleviate Arwen 's fears.

I guess we all just need someone to take us seriously when we're frightened.

Charleston, meanwhile, has gotten into giving safari tours of the front range's small vertebrates.

After eight years of managing his exceptionally high prey drive, something clicked earlier this summer and instead of immediately lunging his whole face at any approximately bite-sized animal in an attempt to expedite it's journey into his stomach, Charlie has started *pointing* at things until I come look at them and tell him he's a good boy. This started with a mole, something he'd never seen before and that moves above ground in a strange way, so he wasn't sure about eating it, so he only alerted at it. "GOOD BOY!" I shouted, giving him all the cuddles. "GOOD SPOT! GOOD JOB NOT EATING IT!"

It's important to reward behavior you want to see.

Since then, he's been trying out pointing at small creatures in the grass and then making very pointed eye contact with me until I come look at them. This is a little tricky when walking both dogs because Herschel is still very much in his "inhale wildlife" phase, but usually I can lock the little gremlin's leash and go look at whatever Charlie has cornered while Herschel attempts to develop telekinesis to will the critter into his mouth.

So far, Charleston has found: a baby rabbit, several baby rabbits in a cluster, an adult rabbit with Jackalope virus, several voles, several moles, a fledgling owl, only the two mice, several mouse-sized grasshoppers and cicada, someone's pet rat (the person was searching within earshot and 'Socks' was collected forthwith), a beanie baby that had me fooled for a hit minute too, a marmot which I didn't know lived down here, a groundhog which I didn't know lived up here, a mink, so many toads, a wild turkey chick, so many more garter snakes and last night, an aquatic shrew.

I don't know if there's an Audubon Society for small things that scuttle around in the undergrowth, but I am inclined to join solely to get Charleston recognition for his service in surveying them.

[eowynstwin]

Okay, final thoughts!

The title of this fic, Peristalsis, was derived from Daniel Kraus' book Whalefall. During the course of the novel, protagonist Jay is accidentally swallowed by a sperm whale while diving in search of his abusive father's remains. Peristalsis is the mechanical process by which the first of a sperm whale's four stomachs digests its food; I used it for this fic to define the violence that shapes one's rebirth. Whalefall provided a ton of thematic inspiration as well and I highly recommend it.

Another book I recommend that contributed very much to this fic is Where the Seals Sing by Susan Richardson. A Welsh playwright's memoir about setting out to learn everything she can about grey seals, while also learning to care for an aging father as he develops vascular dementia. Richardson describes the difficult relationship humans have with grey seals, and advocates for a better understanding of how we can protect these creatures we're so fascinated with.

These are the documentaries that I used for the bulk of my research:

Wild Isle: Britain's Grey Seals

Grey Seals: A Journey of Survival

Secrets from a Grey Seal Colony

Trawlermen's Lives With Ben Fogle

Peristalsis is the first fic series I've ever finished. It's nowhere near perfect, but I'm really proud of it. I’m so grateful for every tag and comment and message I’ve gotten for this fic.

Thank you again for reading!

[floating--goblin]

"Whites of your eyes" AKA Sleep Talking

AKA the trilogy starts with a call and ends with an answer

So by now we know that, while most songs are from Vessel's perspective, some stand out as being weirdly out of character and/or not fitting in this whole narrative the band's constructed unless they're someone else's words-- Sleep's. Some examples are Sugar, Jaws, Jericho and even Nazareth; these POV switches were a lot more prevalent in the first era, but we've seen a possible one as recently as TMBTE with Are You Really Okay?

One other notable thing about ST's catalogue is that there tend to be some running themes or phrases that are weirdly specific or otherwise unique. The one that stood out to me from the start has been "the whites of your eyes", which is used three times: in Jaws, in TNDNBTG, and then in Euclid's reprise of TNDNBTG.

Another detail is the use of darkness-- when a song mentions dark places or the night, it's generally safe to assume they're talking about a difficult period, mental strain, etc. The first album being called Sundowning makes reference to sundown syndrome, a condition which afflicts dementia patients, where they become more disoriented after sunset. Less tethered to reality, as it were.

That is likely why Sleep was given that name as well; an entity that encompasses all that lurks in the dark, one step away from death, paralysis incarnate.

Now that we got that down, back to "the whites of your eyes". Its first appearance is in Jaws, which is pretty widely accepted to be Sleep's POV, which means there's a non-zero chance the other occurrences are too. In Euclid that particular passage is backing vocals, detached from Vessel; it can be interpreted as another speaker. That leaves TNDNBTG, which means that this

Was spoken by Sleep, not Vessel as we'd thought until now. Sleep is the one begging for a little time with the object of its fixation.

It makes sense in context, given what "the night" represents-- the lowest time in Vessel's life, when he is at his worst and weakest, is the only time he's attached enough to his misery to stay trapped in it. To stay with Sleep.

The phrase also originated in military contexts, specifically ones in which ammunition was in very short supply; to avoid wasting ammo, soldiers would be commanded "don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes", meaning essentially "we're low on ammo, so don't shoot your gun until you're close enough to be positive that your bullet will hit". And themes of predation and love as physical attacks are common in ST tracks--

So it has connotations of physical closeness, but specifically physical closeness so that you can accurately attack someone when you have limited opportunity to do so. Jaws and Take Aim also create a sort of dialogue, in that they both paint the other party as the hunter and the speaker as the hunted, which lines up with the TMBTE poem-- "I am hunting something, and in turn, that same thing is hunting me."

Another such dialogue exists in TNDNBTG and Higher:

Essentially Sleep saying "You're lucid enough to stay away from me until you relapse again, then you come back to this comfortable misery" and Vessel saying "You remember not to take me for granted only when I start getting better and I no longer let you consume me."

And if TNDNBTG is Sleep's perspective, it also means that Are You Really Okay? is the last time we hear Sleep speak-- at least in the trilogy-- and it stands as a look back on their shared journey and the horrors they've endured,

Accepting that the cycle they're trapped in cannot sustain Vessel anymore,

And checking in one last time before Vessel takes his leave.

Overall a fond goodbye, to which Vessel finally responds to that first summons three albums ago with

Acknowledging that his misery has consumed him for years but that he holds no grudges; that he'll give Sleep-- however many things it represents, the darkest parts of him, the stupidest things he's done, his lowest moments and what he romanticized of all of it-- the time it's claimed, but that he must move on now. To better things.

[socheckitout-mikey]

heya lovelies, these weren't requested, i'm just on a huge tlb kick atm and wanted to share some love for david! please enjoy and let me know what you think! - mae

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Gif Credit: @bonniebirddoesgifs

Disclaimer: THERE ARE 18+ PARTS IN THIS PIECE SO MINORS & AGELESS BLOGS DNI!!!! YOU WILL BE BLOCKED!!!!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

TLB Dating David Hc's:

° Rest assured that dating David means that the journey will never be boring. You're guaranteed for the adventure of a lifetime (or multiple depending on how you look at it). The party never ends until the first rays of the dawn find their way into the cracks of the caved-in hotel he and the boys reside in (almost dare I say) religiously. He bids himself farewell in your sleepy haze, departing on an sudden icy wind that leaves you sitting up rigid with shock. Only to find that you are utterly alone, save for the seagulls shrieking up above and the lulling waves lapping against sea foam cliffs.

° But as soon as dusk settles upon the sunshine resort of Santa Carla, you'll find David having appeared by your side with the same kind of magic of Christ's Resurrection. Sure, you may ask him how he has done such a thing, but it's seldom that you'll get a straightforward answer that doesn't sound as though it's dripping with a whole new meaning of "Oh, I'm going to fuck with you for sure".

(I mean, you asked for it!)

"Oh, that old trick? It's called climbing flights of stairs." David quips, cocking his eyebrow as he lights up a smoke.

"You asshole, I know how to use the stairs- but I swear you-" you are cut off effortlessly by his charming, gritty laugh and the full intensity of his icy blue gaze, which renders you utterly powerless.

"Then why ask the obvious, kitten? I think someone needs to get their brain CAT scanned. Are you sure you don't have some form of early onset dementia?"

° David is a mysterious fella indeed. He doesn't let much ruffle his feathers unless given a valid reason. He's enigmatic with his charm, drawing in droves of curious people, but not many of them live to see the light of day ever again. A peculiarity you were awfully aware of at the beginning of it all.

° He felt someone's persistent eyes upon him, and out of curiosity, he looked up to find you. Now, love at first sight doesn't suit David, but he couldn't deny it: He at least felt something when he stared back at you. Enough to worm his way into your life with wild simpers and an abundance of flirtations. He uprooted your nightly schedule with a promise of escape and eternal youth.

° David's snarky cynicism can often be the cause of a hurt heart,- as he's learned very well throughout his very long life so far-. This is why it's a blessing that you're able to roll with the punches and even fend yourself against him with a playful attitude. He's very much amused when those kitty-claws come out and rake down his chest. He likes to have fun with you, and enjoys it even more when you're having fun with yourself. He'll let you off the hook... for the most part. But it is pretty difficult to actually insult him.

"Oh, isn't that just endearing? You're pawing me to death." David simpers with boredom through a thick jet of dragons' breath, before leaning forward so his elbows rest on his knees. "Tell me something, when are those kitty claws actually coming out? I'm feeling a bit kinky tonight."

° Truthfully you never really will get to the end of his teasing tongue (in more than one way). David is mischievous, and is charismatic in the way he pushes those around him. You are no different, but with thick skin and a sharp tongue that mirrors his own, he cannot help but reward you. He enjoys keeping you on the very edge just for the sake of being a menace, which is more for his own entertainment than yours.

"Are we frustrated, kitten? Who would've thought you'd break so easily from a few touches and a few words..." he breathes in mock disappointment before an impish grin etches itself onto his features. In velvety tones he divulges, "Well, it's a good thing I'm good at piecing back together broken things. I think I might just rearrange you a bit first. Got any protests?"

"Fuck you!" You grit out.

"I'll start with that mouth first," he flashes a sultry grin before looming over you entirely.

° As much as you love this suave bastard, and he too loves you; it has become apparent that such a declaration verbally isn't really needed. Where David is good with his charming words, he feels that his actions also lend a "helping hand" when it comes to luring you into the fold as his partner. David lays claim over you more subtly than some of his other brothers, but said actions speak so loud that even outsiders can hear them as if they were screamed out at them.

° One thing is for certain; David isn't privy to the idea of sharing you with anyone. He is entirely selfish, wanting every part of you (warts and all) to himself. Does he admit this outwardly outside of yourself? No. But he does make it known.

° He has profound issues with jealousy, but unlike Paul and Marko, he's much like Dwayne: Settling scores when your back is turned. If someone is dumb enough to attempt flirting with you or trying to pick you up, David deals with them in fatal arrangements planned precisely in his head. You may notice the disappearances, or you may not. But either way, he's not letting up much.

"Who was that again? I haven't heard of them." He says in a nonchalant tone, but his eyes are biting, warning you to leave it be.

After all, he does this for a very good reason. It doesn't pertain to issues with his confidence. No, he's got buckets full of that. It's just the darkest parts of him have fully invited you in. There's no going back to a "normal life" when a vampire has fallen in love with you. His intent is to turn you- to be with you for eternity. It's just that simple.

�� At the end of the night, the many trials and tribulations the pair of you have faced have made you stronger as a couple. From your fragile mortality being altered to the many hurdles you faced with fighting the hunters after The Boys - saving them. David does not know how to properly express his truest feelings through the process of words that aren't bitter or playful. So forgive him for the lack of them, but he also knows your true feelings too: He'd just rather them be shown or acted out.

° There is nothing better than whizzing chaotically through the impressive beams underneath The Boardwalk. To get lost in the night with such a thrill that makes your stomach lurch. Yet with each inhibition David pulls out of you only to guide you to throw into the wind, he's allured you further into damnation. You seem to mind such a thing much less now.

° There is a gentleness to the beast that skulks proudly under those garish lights of the Boardwalk. It is reserved solely for you. It does not disappoint as it protects you with vigilance and ensures your needs are met. Just do not thank the beast too profoundly, because it might just get you teased!

° A sucker for your touch, it's no wonder that David has you proudly lounging on his lap in public or in the cave. Sends out a very notifiable signal of, "Back off, she's mine!"

° However, what about the times when you manage to steal him away to far more intimate places, where it's just the two of you? Your bed, although a foreign concept to this roguish fiend who slept under bridges as a mortal, cannot deny deep down the feathery down tempts him. You lay there with him, either lazily making out or talking about many different topics of interest as the TV in the far corner croons on the summer breeze. You have all of his attention, none of his fellow brothers to chime in some hilarious one-liners to add to the chaos. It's just peace.

David cannot help but sigh blissfully, working his lips against your own. Lost at sea. He doesn't want to be found.

° Spontaneous dates of parking your butts on top of an old building or into the corner of an abandoned graveyard whilst you dig into a bottle of wine you stole from your parent's cellar has to be some of David's most favorite low-key dates.

"Look at Miss Goody-Goody stealing for little old me," he grins, admiring the good year on this particular wine bottle. It's a steal he will ensure is worthwhile. "Did you know that stealing is a sin, kitten?" He coos mockingly.

"So is stealing my soul, but you don't hear me complaining." You snicker, stealing the bottle from him. You uncork it and take a swig.

"Touche, kitten, touche." He grins as you hand him the bottle. "Now, you're not planning on curing me, now are you? I'm not a fan of Holy Water."

"If there was a cure for stupid then I'm sure you would be cured by now." You chuckle. "Besides, why would I waste Holy Water on you? You're past the point of saving."

"That I am, but I have to say... I'm going to make you regret everything else you said," he says testily.

"Oh, bite me, Dracula!" You stick your tongue at him.

You really shouldn't tempt him like that.

° Arguments between the pair of you make the air thick with hostility. Though thankfully they don't happen as easily outside of the cases of some broken trust, which isn't very easy to patch together. Like in other areas of his life, David is just as dominant when it comes to arguments. Your feisty attitude you spit back at him is like cobra venom doesn't help. It's cruel and harsh, leaving both hearts wounded and stubbornly locked away in some indestructible castle up a steep mountainside.

° Depending on the burns and wounds left behind, it may take several days for either of you to even look at each other. Avoiding is easier until one of you grows lonely. It takes further time to reconcile, but once it has been initiated, the hatchet is buried (for the most part).

° Don't plan on holding out for the word "sorry" from David. It seems to have escaped his vocabulary almost entirely. It's reserved for extreme circumstances, and even then he may hint at it, but not actually say it. You just need to get used to that. David will show his remorse in many other ways such as private moments stolen away with you where he seemingly allows you to lay in his arms (but he secretly initiated). He will adorn you with thoughtful gifts, words that are sweet by his standards and when he thinks you have fallen asleep, he may let his guard down enough to say, "I'm sorry,".

Just do not hold it over his head!

° You make one another feel on top of the planet. Heads dizzy with a fatal charm that cannot be hidden even to the outside world. David is charismatic and flirtatious as he sweeps you off your feet under the dark silhouette of his damned soul. Yet you are his salvation to the ride down to those fiery pits of damnation! You make him feel alive again, your fresh immortality irresistible as he goes through the new motions with you. Re-experiencing the rush of your first feed, your first flight and even your first kill for the hell of it.

° The pair of you will only get more twisted and wild as the eons drift on by.

° Where once he believed that being tied down to someone would hinder his nightly life that he was more than pleased about, David has come to realise something else: Having someone to share this lifestyle with who gets him even better than his brothers - someone that he can form a genuine romantic attachment to - is far better than the immortal bachelor lifestyle. You have proved yourself useful to him and he can never reward you enough for it.

° It's a good thing that he'll just show you.

° Your connection with David is profound and unmoving as it licks at haunches of dauntless stakes to be dodged - or in the case of David, antlers -. He would have no one else but you swoop in and save him from eternal loneliness as you embark on revenge against The Emerson's until you squash them one by one. What's more poetic than that?

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

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[barrenclan]

hi!! I absolutely love patfw, and blacknose is one of my favorite characters. I work with dementia patients, and I can assure you that your research paid off and your portrayal of her is very accurate and respectful. it’s nice seeing a character be so humanized (even tho she’s a cat lmao) and given many different dimensions when so much media falls into inaccurate stereotypes. thank you for taking the time to do her story right :)

one ask about her once said that she’d forget mallowstar after he died and the remainder of barrenclan fled the wastes, but (no shade to this person, it’s a common misconception) this isn’t entirely accurate. a lot of people with dementia, even in later stages, still remember key details about their lives. they remember where they used to live, what they did as a career, and important people they knew, but forget that they don’t live/work there anymore or that those people may have passed a long time ago. I know residents at the memory care facility where I work who spend a lot of their days in a daze, have prominent physical or vocal tics, and frequently get agitated at the workers or other residents, but are still able to tell me all about their spouses/children/siblings/etc.

essentially, the more accurate way for this to impact her dementia would be for the severe psychological distress of defiance’s attack to cause her dementia to rapidly progress, leading her to become confused and scared on the journey and at wherever they may settle when she isn’t sure why she isn’t in barrenclan’s camp or where mallowstar is. I’m intrigued to see where things go from here and how the surviving members of blacknose’s family and the rest of barrenclan handle this in the midst of everything else they’re dealing with

Wow, thank you for sending in such an interesting and informed comment! I'm so glad that my writing holds up, and I'm especially glad I managed to nail the aspect of Blacknose's progression in her memory loss after Mallowstar's death. I don't exactly remember the ask you mention, but I did never intend for her to forget about him entirely, but instead to forget what happened to him and why he's not here, like you can see in Issue 40.

Blacknose will not disappear from the story as it closes up and I'm looking forward to getting to the last bits of her tale. I hope you like it!